1. Technical Field
The present disclosure relates to a portal apparatus adapted to allow the introduction of surgical instrumentation into a patient's body. In particular, the present disclosure is directed to a portal apparatus including a seal assembly adapted to establish a substantial sealed relation with a surgical object.
2. Description of the Related Art
In laparoscopic procedures, surgery is performed in the interior of the abdomen through a small incision; in endoscopic procedures, surgery is performed in any hollow viscous of the body through narrow tubes or cannula inserted through a small entrance incision in the skin. Laparoscopic and endoscopic procedures generally require that any instrumentation inserted into the body be sealed, i.e. provisions must be made to ensure that gases do not enter or exit the body through the incision as, for example, in surgical procedures in which the surgical region is insufflated. Moreover, laparoscopic and endoscopic procedures often require the surgeon to treat organs, tissues, and vessels far removed from the incision, thereby requiring that any instruments used in such procedures be relatively long and narrow. Generally in the context of insufflatory surgical procedures, a substantially fluid-tight seal about an instrument being introduced within the portal is desirable.